The Perk, Sunday Morning

[fewer_explosions]

It had been... some time since Liara's last visit to Fandom. And this one had not been planned. Rather, she had had the - in retrospect - foolish idea that travelling by Portalocity might make the trip to Thessia take less time, and in result, be less draining.

Instead it had left her with a twelve-hour layover on the island.

"I would like a coffee with at least three shots of caramel," she said to the barista, "... That is a sweetener, isn't it? Or have I forgotten?"

She sounded painfully solemn, for a being ordering coffee. The barista was having trouble repressing a laugh.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[solarhippie]

"Oh my God."

Here was Karolina, in her short white sun dress and her floppy hat, just minding her own business, enjoying this weekend after finally having gotten everything done for her own studies for the 2017-2018 school year, just hoping to score an iced coffee or something, before maybe heading up to the school and her office --

And she'd just stopped in her tracks right after stepping into the Perk.

[fewer_explosions]

If Liara were a self-conscious person--

All right. Let's rephrase that: if Liara had been a self-conscious person in a rather more material way than she was, she may have felt odd about sitting here, no doubt looking the same as she left, but dressed in an Asari scientist's long dress instead of her neat Earthen teenager clothes.

But she was not that kind of self-conscious.

Instead she was the kind that squared her shoulders awkwardly at the sound of that voice, her eyes lifting from her incoming cup and to the face of--

"Karolina," she said softly.

[solarhippie]

"Liara."

Guess Karolina had been holding her breath for a few seconds there. She knew how Fandom was, after all: just because someone looked like the person you thought they were, it didn't mean they were. And even if they were, it might not have been the same version.

But this one was.

"Oh my God."

It had been a long while.

[fewer_explosions]

"Yes," Liara breathed, and blinked a few times, and segued awkwardly into a, "Oh Goddess, Karolina."

It was a miracle they'd ever managed to have conversations.

[solarhippie]

Karolina had had time to get a little less awkward over the years. It was just that all that experience seemed to be momentarily eluding her, right this second.

At least until her brain finally seemed to snap into something of a functional gear, and a grin spread across her face, and she started forward, towards Liara. "It's been so long!"

[fewer_explosions]

"It has," Liara said. She abandoned her coffee as fast as she could. "Can I give you a hug? Or would that be inappropriate?"

[solarhippie]

"That wouldn't be inappropriate at all." Because apparently having gotten more confident and comfortable with herself over the years meant all of Karolina's own kneejerk urges maybe weren't entirely appropriate.

Feelings were such a weird thing.

But she was already moving in for that hug.

[fewer_explosions]

"Okay," Liara said softly, and then her arms were around Karolina for a firm and only slightly awkward hug.

She had missed Karolina.

[solarhippie]

The feeling was mutual. At least judging by the way Karolina was absolutely clinging to her. And glowing.

Literally.

She didn't generally switch her powers on at random, but it felt fitting, you know? It felt right.

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan had learned his lesson from the day before - buy the coffee, then open the shop. His eyes were mostly on the menu, deciding what new coffee drink to try, so he only caught peripheral sight of the Asari crests. "Hey, Peebee. Nice to see you again," he called as he passed.

His senses started screaming at him the moment the words were out of his mouth. Two sets of crests - and one was a lighter color, the dress was Asari traditional. Peebee had darker crests and her clothing was - he glanced over to check and confirm - far more eclectic; the only two light colored Asari he'd met had been Samara, and..

Kaidan slowly turned to face the other Asari. At the sight of her oh, so familiar face, he paled and swallowed convulsively, almost choking on the instinct to greet her.

He wasn't sure which Liara this was. It could be his Liara. It could be the other one he'd heard about. The familiarity of her features hit him like a punch straight to the heart, and he stood there, not sure what to say or do.

[ooc: edited pose because Peebee is there too and she'd have been there first.]

[fewer_explosions]

Was there a man staring at her? It appeared so.

Liara cradled her coffee between her hands and turned to see who it was - it seemed like a day for unexpected reunions, and...

"Major Alenko," she said. Awkwardly. "Are you all right...?"

Why was he staring at her like that?

[spectre_alenko]

Major Alenko? His relaxed a tenseness he hadn't been aware of - not his Liara, then, but someone from a similar timeline, if she knew about that promotion.

"Not really," he admitted quietly, "I'm still getting used to this place and finding the familiar to be completely unfamiliar after all." He offered a completely awkward smile, "Sorry for staring. Didn't know if you'd know me. I mean, I'm still not sure you do."

Taking a breath, realizing he was babbling, he centered himself and offered a hand and a completely awkward smile, "Kaidan Alenko, crew of the Normandy under Spectre John Shepard, 2187." He didn't say it like a year, he said the numbers individually. Because this was Liara - or, a Liara - and he was not capable of refraining from teasing her at least a little, he added, "Dr. T'Soni - it's good to see you again." If it sounded like he was echoing her accent, or repeating something he'd heard often enough to have memorized the phrasing, well, there was a reason for that.

[fewer_explosions]

"I..."

Liara hesitated, for a moment.

"I am not a doctor," she said finally. "Merely a research assistant. I will not meet you in my own timeline for at least five more decades."

... only after that did she remember to shake his hand. It had been a while since she'd last met any other human but Caius and Yeul.

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan processed that while he gently shook her hand, and said, "Here's to the future, then. In my time, you are one of my closest friends. Have been for years." He paused, "That sounded creepier than I meant it to. Uh. I just mean, if you need anything - I'm here, and ..well, the you I know would do the same for me, if the roles were reversed."

"I'll, um, let you get back to your conversation. It was.. I wasn't kidding, Liara, it really is good to see you again."

[fewer_explosions]

Had Liara been several decades and some experience with the Normandy crew further down her path, she might have observed, with some amusement, that the major had not gotten less awkward with time. (Or even alternate universes.)

But she wasn't.

"It is all right," she said instead, all sincerity. "I am certain Karolina does not mind waiting. You are not the same Major Alenko I knew here on Fandom, are you?"

[spectre_alenko]

There'd been another him, here? Well, that was certainly something to think about. "No," he said carefully, "I've only been here a few weeks, mostly supervising the renovation of my shop. Though if you knew .. me?.. as Major Alenko, you knew a version of me that's probably from a closer timeline to my own." He frowned slightly, considering, "Did he.. mention anything about it?"

He really hoped she'd answer in the negative. As much as he wanted to drop the words 'Protheans' and 'Reapers' on her to set her on the path like a scent hound, he still hadn't decided whether that would cause more problems than it would help. If a prior him had already disturbed the timeline.. Well, if that version of him showed up here again, this Kaidan would be sure to show him a proper ass kicking for it. Liara deserved to have a life free of that particular foreknowledge.

[fewer_explosions]

"He and I were not close," Liara said, shaking her head. "I know that he was a teacher, and a human biotic from my universe. He seemed... sad. But we did not speak often."

For some imminently strange reason that had nothing to do with anything OOC.

[onefootoutthedoor]

Peebee had pulled an all-nighter, just because she'd basically fallen down a Wikipedia rabbit hole and, well... she liked to know All The Things. So. Caffeine.

"Really?" she drawled, though she hadn't looked up yet from her very, very large cup of what was basically just espresso and chocolate syrup. "It's coffee, not, I don't know, calculating FTL flight paths off the top of your head or anything. Don't take it so seriously."

[[SP like whoa but I couldn't resist.]]

[fewer_explosions]

Liara frowned as she glanced over her shoulder, and found... another asari?

"I like to know what is in my beverage," she said. "Hello."

[onefootoutthedoor]

"I mean, sure, that's fair, I guess," Peebee said into her coffee cup as she took a sip from it. "You just make it sound like the consequences could be so dire if it's not what you expected."

That was the point at which she looked up. And blinked.

"Used to go to school here, I'm guessing? I've heard about you, if so."

[fewer_explosions]

This was Liara. It would be several decades before she learned not to make everything sound dire.

"I did," she said. "Several years ago. I'm... sorry. I did not expect to see another asari here."

[onefootoutthedoor]

Okay, fair point there.

"Not gonna lie, I was a little bummed to find out you kind of beat me to it?" Peebee admitted, shrugging. "But I'm over it, it's fine. What were the odds, anyway, two of us ending up in the same tiny, adorably pre-interstellar-travel place? Statistically low enough to be impressive, probably."

[fewer_explosions]

"You were... bummed," Liara echoed slowly. "Why would you be? The looks were uncomfortable."

[onefootoutthedoor]

"What can I say? I like being first." Peebee leaned back in her chair, balancing it on its rear legs. "Got stared at a lot, huh?"

[fewer_explosions]

"I had to buy a beanie hat just to be able to visit the stores," Liara said. Peevishly.